Bonsai Seed

How to Grow Bonsai from Seeds

There are many ways to grow bonsai, the most common of which is to obtain a plant from a nursery stock. Optionally, you can also grow bonsai from seeds – a process known as ‘misho'. While this process requires the most effort and time, it allows you to control how your bonsai will grow right from the start. At the same time, growing bonsai from seedlings costs less and can be very rewarding.

This method can be done in two ways – you can collect seeds from the species of the tree that you want to grow as a bonsai or you can purchase seeds from a bonsai shop, which may come in a bonsai seed kit.

Aside from containing seeds, a bonsai seed kit will also include tools and accessories such as a container and training wire that you will need to grow and care for the bonsai. A bonsai seed kit may also include bonsai soil, pebbles, moss, and fertilizer. It will also have an instructions guide to facilitate proper use. A bonsai seed kit is an ideal tool for beginners including kids. Anyone interested in bonsai will surely appreciate a bonsai seed kit as a gift.

Whether gathered the seeds yourself or they came in a bonsai seed kit, you would need to plant the seeds in the early spring but prior to actually sowing the seeds, you have to soak them in water over night as a way to filter which seeds will grow – these are the ones that will sink to the container's bottom. Discard the seeds that float because they will not germinate.

Steps in sowing the seeds for bonsai:

1. Select a pot about 6 inches deep with a drainage hole.
2. Fill the pot's bottom layer, about ¼ of the entire volume, with an earth mixture of ½ of fine gravel and ½ of a type of clay called ‘akadama". You can purchase akadama from any bonsai specialist.
3. Atop the bottom layer, put an inch layer of a mix of ½ akadama to ¼ of fine gravel to ¼ of potting compost. This layer should be below the pot's rim.
4. Place the seeds about 1 to 2 inches apart on top of the earth mix.
5. Cover the seeds with a layer of ½ of akadama to ½ of potting compost.
6. Use a fine spray to wet the seedbed thoroughly. Make sure no soil will be removed.

After sowing the seeds, place the pot in a sunny area outdoors where there is protection from the winds. While the seedbed must remain damp it should not be too soaked up. You will be able to separate and repot the seedlings after a year but you need to use a certain amount of the original soil.